Twitter's new
Vine app has gained a cadre of followers, but it has flown under the radar in educational circles. The
application allows users to create six-second video clips. Just like Twitter's defining limit of 140 characters, the time constraint on
Vine is meant both to encourage pithiness and to conserve bandwidth.
We haven't yet experimented with
Vine in the classroom, but already we can imagine a range of uses for future projects and lessons. Just as some educators were
slow to embrace Twitter's open platform, they may gradually enjoy toying with Vine's easy-to-use interface and immediate gratification. For 1:1 iPad schools, the
free app could prove particularly useful.
To be fair, Vine is
not the only video capture service. It could just be a knee-jerk offering for a more grown-up version of
Snapchat or a more dynamic
Instagram. But at its best, Vine might be the next virtual playground for creativity. Ideally, it will become one of those applications where teachers cannot preconceive of the inventive directions that students will pursue.
As with all unregulated social media applications, schools should be careful about letting students run rampant through all of Vine's content.
Recent articles have pointed out that some of the early postings have been
smutty in nature. Until Twitter adds filters
to block offensive content, educational institutions should be guarded about allowing Vine's unfettered use in classrooms. In fact, a
17+ age restriction could be temporary or permanent.
Here are some of Vine's possible future uses for education:
Applications:
- Pair with information on a class website or blog
- Announce homework to students and parents
- Model how students should execute a task
- Market a school's upcoming events to followers
- "Tease" new units for kids and families
- Record student reactions to texts
- Think-pair-share in a virtual field
- Grab "preview" or "exit interview" understandings
- Offer parent testimonials for admissions
- Build advisory or homeroom unity
Projects:
- Design mini-book trailers
- Film solutions to math problems
- Identify symbols and silent metaphors
- Recreate drawing or painting methods
- Document science labs
- Capture instructions for computer tools
- Create "real-life" Vokis
- Animate stop-motion characters
- Recite famous quotations
- Impersonate historical figures
